310 TRANSFERRING BEES. 



to attempt it, in raid-winter, if the weather was as warm as 

 it sometimes is. At the same time, I do not recommend that 

 it should be done, unless a person is very anxious, for the 

 purpose of experiment, 1o obtain a colony in a movable- 

 comb hive. In my own Apiary, may be found bees which 

 I have purchased in old box hives, of the rudest conslruction, 

 and with all my experience in transferring, I am unwilling 

 to dispossess them ; for I can use them as stock hives, and 

 compel them to yield me swarms and bees, at pleasure. As 

 a general rule, it is best not to transfer a stock which is well 

 established, with the right kind of comb, in anything that 

 will hold them and shelter them from the weather. In the 

 great majority of instances, the bee-keeper who knows how 

 to make swarms from such colonies, will find himself a loser, 

 by transferring them to any other hive. 



In all operations involving the transferring of bees, it is 

 exceedingly desirable that the new hives should be put, as 

 near as possible, where the old ones stood. If other colo- 

 nies are in close i)roximity, the bees may be tempted to 

 enter the wrong hives, if their position is changed only a 

 little ; they are almost sure to do this, if the others resemble 

 more closely than the new one, their former habitation. It 

 will be often advisable, to transport to the distance of one or 

 two miles, the stocks which are to be transferred. In a few 

 weeks they may be brought back to the Apiary. In hiving 

 swarms, and transferring stocks, great care should always 

 be taken to prevent the bees from getting mixed with those 

 of other colonies. If this precaution is neglected, many 

 bees will be lost by joining other slocks, where they may be 

 kindly welcomed, or may at once be put to death. It is 

 exceedingly difficult to tell before hand, what kind of recep- 

 tion strange bees will meet with, from a colony which they 

 attempt to join. In the working season Ihey are much more 



